Stephen Curry’s Ankle Could Have Him Sidelined For ‘A While’

During the Golden State Warriors‘ showdown with the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night, Stephen Curry exited the game prematurely after experiencing a horrific ankle turn. He limped off the court and saw his X-rays come back negative. On Tuesday, The Vertical’s Shams Charania reported that Curry’s MRI “revealed no structural damage on injured right ankle, but significant swelling and no return timetable.”

That’s not the news Warriors fans want to hear. Shams then poured salt on the wound. He quoted the initial tweet with a new development, one that said Curry “could be out a while.”

A couple of minutes later, Adrian Wojnarowski chimed in. He reported that Steph would undergo a re-evaluation in “a couple of weeks.” The Warriors PR account then specified by saying two weeks. If there’s anything to take away from these two, it’s that the Warriors will not have Curry for the immediate future.

Being without Curry hurts more than anyone else. He’s the driver of their Ferrari and their most impactful player. The Warriors have started 19-6 on Steph’s shoulders, and he’s averaging 26.3 points while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor. Without him, it’ll be fascinating to see how smoothly Golden State’s offense runs. They’re still an elite team without him, but the games will be more competitive because Durant and Klay feast off of the pressure diverted to Steph.

Golden State is fortunate enough not to worry about missing their best player, and their schedule through the end of December is a relatively easy one. The highlight is the Christmas Day matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Detroit and Portland are also on the slate, as is Utah. Those are the only teams likely to give the Warriors issues.

Stephen Curry last missed extended time since 2011-12 when he only suited up for 26 games, which was also because of an ankle issue. Most recently, he sprained his MCL against the Houston Rockets during the 2016 playoffs and missed six games in total.